Curtain-fastener.



G. L. BAIR. CURTAIN. FASTENER. APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 6, 1910.

Patented May 2; 1911.

35 same.

45 its seat.

CLARENCE L. BAIR, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA;

GURTAIN-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1911.

Application filed January 6, 1910. Serial No. 536,758.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE L. BAIR, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Curtain-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of ourtain fasteners which comprise a turnable button on the part to which the curtain is to be secured, and a gromet or eyelet in the curtain which fits over and is engaged by the button.

Though my invention is applicable to the fastening of curtains, flaps, sails, etc., for

various purposes, it is especially adapted for the curtains of vehicle tops.

My invention has for its objects the provision of a turnable button and button seat 0 with a detachable interlocking device of a 5 it to the curtain of a nature which will not tear the curtain or pull out from it.

To these ends, my invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts which I shall now fully describe, by

reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a face view of the button showing its locking tongues before they are bent for use. Fig. 2 is a vertical elevation of the Fig. 3 is a face view of the button showing its locking tongues bent for use. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 5 is a face view of the button-seat with which the button interlocks. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the button and its seat, showing them interlocking and mounted upon the shouldered pin or screw which carries them. Fig. 7 is a face View of a washer which upon occasion may be placed bet-ween the button and Fig. 8 is an edge view of said washer. Fig. 9 is'a face view of a button seat formed with a securing wing. Fig. 10 is an edge view of the button and the seat provided with the wing of Fig. 9 showing its application. Fig. 11 is a face view of a button seat formed with two securing ears in addition to the securing wing. Fig. 12 is a face view of the inner plate of the gromet or eyelet part of the curtain fastener. Fig. 13 is an elevation of the same.

Fig. 14 is a face view of the outer plate of the gromet. Fig. 15 is a section of the 1nner and outer gromet plates about to be clenched together. Fig. 16 is a view showing the parts of Fig. 15 pressed and clenched together on the curtain with an intervening soft washer.

The button, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, consists of a centrally perforated metallic plate I pressed to shape and formed with locking tongues 2 of a springy nature. These tongues when turned inwardly to lie radially of the face of the button as shown in Figs. 3 and '-l form the locks for the button to. hold it in place on its seat either lengthwise or crosswise. The inner ends of the tongues are concaved and slightly widened as shown at 3 in Figs. 1 and 3, and said ends bear upon the securing pin or screw and form guides for the turning action of the button.

The button seat 1, seen in Fig. 5, is a centrally perforated plate pressed to shape, provided with a base flange 5 to bear on the wood or how to which it is attached, and having formed in its outer face the cross grooves 6 with which the locking tongues 2 of the button 1 are to interlock.

In Fig. 6, the button 1 and the seat 4 are shown fitted together by means of a long screw or pin 7. This passes through the central perforations of both parts, and is to fasten in the wood of the bow. It has a shouldered portion 8 which is sufficiently longer than the depth of the button to give free play for the turning movement of said button, thereby avoiding binding, but still holding the button close enough to its seat to enable the locking tongues 2 of said button to ride over the top of said seat and to fall into engagement with the grooves 6 of the seat. This manner of locking the button and seat avoids the use of a separate spring such as is commonly used, and furnishes a lock which will not readily pull out under strain, and still is of such a character that the button may be readily turned to either position and will automatically relock. The particular form of the button-seat shown in Fig. 6 is adapted for the bows of the vehicle top.

Instead of providing different lengths of button seats for different thicknesses of ourtains, I have washers 9 such as are shown in Figs. 7 and 8. These are compleinentally fashioned with cross grooves 10 and ribs 11 on opposite faces, corresponding to the grooves 6 of the button seat. For a slightly longer seat, one washer may be fitted to the face of the seat and engage it with its ribs,

while presenting its grooves to the action of the locking tongues of the button. For a longer seat, two or more washers such as 9 may be used.

For the back of the vehicle, where there is a wood flange such as shown in Fig. 10, at 12, I provide the button seat with a wing 13 as seen in Figs. 9, l0 and 11, and also if required with two cars let as in Fig. 11. The wing 13 is bent around the wood as seen in Fig. 10 and is screwed to it, and where the ears 14 are used, screws pass through them into the wood, thereby giving four points of fastening to wit, the central screw, the screw through the wing and the two screws through the ears. These back buttons are subject to the greatest strain and the construction here shown affords ample security.

For use on the back stays the button seats may be fastened by the ordinary clenchers.

The gromet or eyelet portion of the fastening is shown in Figs. 12 to 16. It consists of an inner apertured plate 15 having on its face a series of clencher prongs 16, the peculiarity of which is that they are located well within the periphery of the plate, leaving thus a well defined rim 17 to form a border for the plate which will better profeet the material of the curtain from tearing under strain as would apt to be the case if the prongs were directly upon the rim. But the principal advantage of this position of the clencher prongs is in connection with the eifect upon them of the outer apertured plate. This outer plate 18 is shown in Fig. 14. It has its under or inner face concaved as shown in Figs. 15 and 16, with a well defined concaved peripheral lip 19, and a central flange 20. hen the two plates 15 and 18 are fitted together with the curtain material 21 between them, the flange 20 of plate 18 passes through the open center of plate 15, and the concaved lip 19 of plate 18 lies in position to act as a clenching anvil on the prongs 16 of plate 15. Vith a proper tool pressure is applied to the plates when in the position of Fig. 15, so that the flange 20 is bent down over the center of plate 15, while the curved lip 19, acting on the prongs 16, will bend them and clench them down with accuracy and effectually, as shown in Fig. 16. In order to make this clenching of the prongs precise and to insure their full penetration of the curtain material and thereby give them a good hold with no tendency to tear out, I insert between the outer plate and the curtain material as seen in Fig. 1G, a washer 22 of some penetrable material such as felt. As the prongs must pass through this washer to reach and be acted upon by the clenching anvil-lip 19 of the outer plate, it is evident that they must of necessity pass first through the curtain material an appreciable distance, and with certainty, from which it follows that by reason of this full projection through the curtain material, they will be clenched over well and thoroughly with regard to said material, thus avoiding any tendency to become em bedded in the curtain, as they would have,

through inaccuracy of pressure, if the soft washer did not intervene. This provides a firm hold and prevents tearing under strain.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1. A button for curtain fasteners comprising a button seat fashioned on its outer face with cross grooves; a button formed with inturned springy tongues radially directed ends of the locking tongues bearing against 5 said pin.

2. A button for curtain fasteners comprising a button seat fashioned on its outer face with cross-grooves; a button pivotally con nected with said seat, said button being formed with inturned springy tongues radially directed on its inner face; and a washer coi'nplementally fashioned with cross grooves and ribs on opposite faces, said washer intervening bet-ween the seat and button and interlocking with both, for the purposes described.

3. A curtain fastener comprising a sheet metal base having a button seat struck up therefrom, said seat being provided with a groove in the face thereof, a sheet metal button provided on its underside with an integral yieldable tongue adapted to interlock with the groove in the face of the button seat, and a pin pivotally securing said but- 1 ton to said button seat.

4. A button for curtain fasteners comprising a button seat provided with a groove in the face thereof, a button pivotally connected to said seat and provided on its underside with a member adapted to yieldably engage the face of the button seat, and a washer provided with a groove in one face thereof, and a rib on the other face thereof,

said washer fitting between said button and button seat and interlocking with both.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CLARENCE L. BAIR.

lVitnesses lVM. F. Boo'rH, D. B. RICHARDS.

Ccpies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

